GameSpot editors' review
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CNET editors' rating:
stars
Mediocre
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 07/25/2006
- Released on: 07/18/2006
- Originally published on GameSpot: Monster House (PlayStation 2) Review
There's no denying that Monster House for the PlayStation 2 and the GameCube does a good job of duplicating the atmosphere of the movie it's based on. Every key scene from the movie is represented in some fashion, and the game's spooky musical score is on par with Hollywood's best. Unfortunately, while the game is a joy to sit back and take in, it isn't much fun to interact with. The movie has been transformed into a third-person action game that mainly involves fighting the same cookie-cutter enemies over and over again in the same cramped environments. To make matters worse, various other dubious design decisions bring about fits of frustration along the way that really shouldn't be in a game that only takes about four hours to complete.
Mainly, you'll be shooting at haunted chairs and televisions with a pump-action squirt gun.
On the upside, the game's overall structure and its atmosphere are very faithful to the movie. In the movie, three friends named DJ, Chowder, and Jenny get swallowed by a haunted house and are forced to fight their way out using ingenuity and their squirt guns. In the game, players must alternate control between the three characters and squirt possessed furniture to "death" throughout the course of nine chapters. The visuals don't push the machine to its fullest in the technical sense, but they're generally crisp and smooth. Artistically, though, everything from the characters to what's inside the house looks exactly like it did on the big screen. Audio is generally excellent, particularly the soundtrack, which is haunting and makes ample use of stereo and surround-sound capabilities. If you crank the speakers, you'll hear faint creaks and moans in the background, and you'll be able to hear where enemies are coming from. There's also quite a bit of spoken dialogue as well. The three protagonists are voiced by the movie's actors, while supporting characters are voiced by believable soundalikes.
Considering the source material and going by what the packaging and manual say, you'd assume the game would be a joy to play. Conceptually, the basic design is sound. This is an action game where the primary goal is to shoot anything that moves. There are a few "find the key" and "push the box"-type puzzles here and there, but gunplay is, by and large, what the game is about. All but one of the nine chapters are loosely structured such that you'll end up controlling each of the three kids while wandering some portion of the house. Every room and hallway is furnished with tables, chairs, and the usual decorations, which frequently come to life and attack the poor kid you're controlling. The controls are easy to pick up. There's one button each for shoot, reload, special weapon, melee attack, and duck. While the three kids control the same, they do have their own unique traits. DJ can use his squirt gun like a hose and stun enemies with his camera. Chowder's squirt gun functions like a high-powered shotgun and he can toss water balloons to dole out even greater damage. Last, but not least, Jenny's squirt gun fires quickly and across long distances, and she can assail enemies and locks by launching marbles with her slingshot. Much of the time, you'll fend of the half-dozen or so furniture monsters in each room using the squirt gun. The game automatically targets the nearest enemy, so shooting is primarily a function of how rapidly you can tap the button.
Sadly, everything starts to unravel the moment you get your hands on the controller. First, there are the technical issues, like the unresponsive lock-on targeting system, which makes it tough to keep track of enemies, and the fish-eye camera aspect, which induces a physical feeling of nausea if you move the viewpoint side to side too much. The third-person viewpoint is normally perfect for a game like this, but, thanks to the unreliable targeting and warped graphics, it's easy to lose track of enemies and where you're going.
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Monster House (PlayStation 2):
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